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Patented Apr. l8, !899.

No. 623,4u'7.

c. LACOSTE. V MACHINE FOB MAKING CIGARS.

(Apph at n fil &Aug 27 1897) 2 sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

No. &523,407. Patented Apr. 18.1899( c. J. LACOSTE.

MAGHINE FOB MAKING CIGARS.

(Application filed Aug. 27. 1897.) i (No Model.) 2 'sham-sheet 2.

UNrrnn STATES PATENT FFlCEo MACHINE FOR MAKING CIGARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,407, dated April 18, 1899. Application filed August 27, 1897. Serial No. 649,'7'75. (No model.)

To all whom 't may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J OSEPH LA- CosTE, engineer, a subject of the King of Belgium, residing at Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Cigars, (for which patents have been obtained in France, No. 253,(347, dated December 10, 1896; in Belgium, No. 124,?)11, dated October 31, 1896; in LuXemburg, No. 2,762, dated February 24, 1897; in Denmark, No. 1,301, dated March 9, 1897; in Switzerland, No. 14,089, dated February 24, 1897; in England, No. 3,208, dated-February 6, 1897; in Norway, No. 6,320, dated March 20, 1897; in Spain, No. 20,488, dated April 20, 1897; in

Canada, No. 57,583, dated September25,1897;

in Germany, filed March 18, 1897; in Sweden, filed March 6, 1897; in Italy, filed March 23, 1897; in Portugal, filed October 1, 1897, and in Russia, filed March 17, 1897, the last five named patents not being yet issued, no application being now on file in Austria or Hungary;) and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The machine for making cigars,which forms the subject of the present invention and which is an improvement upon the device embraced in application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 5829327, filed March 10, 1896, by me, is characterized by the combination of its essential parts in such a way as to faithfully imitate in its action as a whole the action of the hand in rolling the filler in the wrapper. The said essential parts of the machine are characterized by the arrangement of a pair of jaws on each side of a fixed base or support, said jaws having an alternately ascendingand descending movementsimultaneously with an alternately opening and closing movement, one pair being open while the other is closed. On the cigar being placed freely on the fixed base it is seized alternately by the two pairs of jaws at the moment of closing, which thus impart to it a continuous rotary movement, thereby rolling on the wrapper which has been inserted between the cigar and one of the jaws. The improved machine working in accordance with this principle will now be described in detaL'reference being had to the accom panyin g drawings, the working of the two jaws at the sides of the base or support on which the cigar is placed being shown in Figures 1 'to 5.

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the arrangement, one jaw being removed; Fig. 2, asimilar view showing both jaws; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the jaws closed; Fig. 4, a transverse section of the jaws open; Fig. 5, a'horizontal section of the jaws closed, and Fig. 6 a similar section of the jaws open. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a machine constructed according to the principle of this invention; Fig. 8, a plan view of same; Fig. 9, a transverse section of the machine, showing one pair of jaws closed and the other pair open; Fig. 10, a similar section showing all the jaws in an open position; Fig. 11, a section showing in elevation the mechanism for cutting the end of the cigar and the mechanism for simultaneously stopping the machine. Figs. 12 and 13 are views in elevation of the device for forming the point of the cigar, and Fig. 14 is a view of the same in position on the machine.

The jaws M, as shown in all the figures, are always formed with a curve corresponding to the profile which it is desired to give to the cigar C, which is placed loosel y on the base or support F. The base or support F is fitted at its ends in a frzme K, having a stirrup shape and arranged below a table T.

In order to maintain the cigarin continuous rotation, recourse is had to the coperation of two pairs of jaws, the active or internal faces of each one of which must come alternately in contact with the perimeter of the cigar, and this contact must be produced for each pair on the same line-thatis to say, the side of the cigar. The two pairs of jaws must therefore be capable of replacing each other alternately in order to successively effect the same movements. To obtain this alternate substitution, the jaws are constructed each in the form of a comb and arranged two on each side of the cigar-support F in such a way that the teeth of the one penetrate freely into the interstices between the teeth of the other, and thus come in contact with the cigar at alternate points along the surfaces of contact, as shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, so that the cigaris IOO always gripped between one or other pair of jaws during the whole period of wrapping.

In order that each pair of jaws M may work independently of the other-that is to say, withoutinterfering with the respective movements of each other-the teeth of one pair are formed straight, while the teeth of the other pair are formed of an L shape to admit of the jaw-carriers of this latter pai r being bent outwardly, so 'as not to interfere with the cycle of movement of the other pair, the ;law-carriers of which are bentinward, and for this reason one pair-2'. e. the internal pair--will be hereinafter called M' M and the other pairi. c., the external pair-be called M M: The teeth of each pair are removably mountedin their jaw-carriers P' P P P by having eyes O formed at their lower extremities, by means of which they are fitted on rods D, mounted in brackets or checks B at the extremities of the jaw-carriers and hearing nutsE,whereby the teeth may be pressed and fixed in their places, which is determined by the thickness of the eyelets O. The result ofthisarrangementis such that with a similar action of the jaws they may be readily ad j usted for any desii-ed size of cigar, seeing that it is sufcient to`employ on the rods D a larger or smaller number of teeth at suitable distances apart. The jaws th us arranged may coperate in two different orders-that is to say, first the eX- ternal pair M M* and then the internal pair H' M may be caused to act on the cigar alternately,or they may be caused to act in such a way that first one jaw of the external pair and one jaw of the internal pair act together and then the other jaws of the external and internal pairs, and so on alternately,thus first M' M and then M M and so on alternately, and it is this latter order which is preferred in the present example, because in this case opposing teeth do not touch the cigar along the same circles, and there is therefore a tendency to shape it toward the point and to consequently insure a better hold than if the opposing teeth touched on the same circles, as would be the case with the first arrangement mentioned.

The ascending and descending movement, as well as the opening and closing of the jaws, is effected by the coperation of four eccen- ,trics X with four spiral springs R' R R R and an intermediate sleeve I. The four eccentric-rods B, which rigidly connect the jaW- carriers P' P P P to the straps of the eccentrics X, rock or oscillate against said sleeve.

The eccentrics X are keyed on the drivingshaftAin positions corresponding to those of the jaws, A driving-pulley N is keyed on the shaft A and the sleeve I is fitted loosely over a fixed shaft A'. At the points of contact with the sleeve I the eccentric-rods B are provided in suitable recesses with small steel regulating-plates p, which are adj ustable by means of screws b and serve to determine the correct position of the j aws as regards one another and as regards the sleeve I.

Antagonistic springs R' R so connect the jaws or the eccentric-rods B in any suitable manner to the frame (in the present example to a sti rrup G) that said rods are always drawn toward a closed position. action of the springs is such that the rods B of all the jaws remain always in contact with the sleeve I and oscillating on the sleeve separate and approach the jaws according to the positions of the eccentrics, regulated by keying with a view to the desired alternate action.

The cigar resting between the jaws on the support F projects to a slight extent beyond this latter at its two extremities. The point 'of the cigar rests in a semiconical recess form ed in a block c,in which the point revolves freely, and the other end of the cigar rests in a semicircular recess formed in two small vertical sheet-metal brackets t t, Figs. 8 and ll, fixed at a short distance apart on a projection of the cigar-support F.

A knife Y is adapted to enter between the two brackets t and is intended to cut the end of the finished cigar. The cigar being supported at each side of the knife has no tendency to tilt up when being cut, and the cutting is much cleaner, seeing that it is exercised on the projecting end.

The lowering of the knife Y causes at the same time a stopping of the machine and a sinultaneous opening of all the jaws by the following arrange ment: The knife is fixed on a lever L, keyed on a rock-shaft A together with a cam Q of suitable form. of the cam Q is Situated the head Q' of a le- Ver L', keyed on a rock-shaft A 'The bottom end Q of this lever bears laterally against the point V of a small cylinder guided freely in a socket S of the frame K,and which at its opposite end is provided with a point V', adapted at a given moment to disengage a clutch-arm Z, pivoted in a slot formed in the driving-shaft A and pressed by a spring R normally against the driving-pulleyN, which is loose on the shaft A. The clutch-arn Z has a tooth or projection z, adapted to en gage the shoulder n of an inclined plane formed on the face of the pulleyN, whereby the shaftA is compelled to rotatewith the pulleyN until the clutch-arm is disengaged by the point V'. A lever L having one end provided with a notch P, is pivoted on the frame, with its other end engaged in a slot formed in a headed pin XV, guided vertically in the table T and with its notched end resting on a pin Z' of the:

lever L'.

Assuming the pulley N to be engaged with the clutch-arm Z, and consequently the machine to be in movement, if the lever L, with the knife Y for cutting the end of the cigar, be lowered at the desired moment the cam Q will encounter the head Q' of the lever L', which lever will oscillate in such a way that its lower end Q advancing over the point V, will push in the latter and cause the other point V' to project at the other side into the:

The result of this p IOO In the path path of the clutch-arm Z, which is rotating with the shaft A, so that said clutch-arm is pushed back, compressing the spring R and withdrawing the clutch-tooth z out of engagement with the shoulder 'IL of the pulley. The pulley N continues to revolve loosely, but the machine is stopped and all the parts are retained in this position by the lever U, which by its own weight causes its notch l to engage the pin Z as indicated in the dotted position shown in Fig. ll. At the same time the lever L'in moving has turned into a transverse position a double cam H, keyed on the shaft A which cam in this position separates the rods B of the jaws, so that all the jaws are open, as shown in Fig. 10, thus entirely liberating the cigar C, which is then raised and replaced by a fresh filler. In order to set the machine again in action, the lever L, with the knife and the cam Q, is raised, and the pin XV is lowered by pressing its head or button, so that the end (2 of the lever L' no longer presses on the point V. The spring R then returns the clutch-arm Z, so that its clutch-tooth is again in engagement with the shoulder a of the pulley, and the latter again revolves the shaft A.

In orderto enable the machine to be stopped at any desired noment without causing the knife-lever to act, a lever L bear-ing a pin 1 is pivoted at its lower end on the frame in such a way that by drawing it toward the lever L' its pin 2 will engage and move thelatter, which then produces the disengagement, as hereinbefore described. The restartingis effected by depressing the push-pin XV.

In Figs. 12, 13, and 14: there is shown a socket or cup J, formed with a conical interior and monnted on a shaft journaled in two standards or supports J', which shaft carries a grooved pulley .1 by means of which the shaft, and thereby the cup, may be setin rotation by means of a cord coming from any similar pulley. This cup or socket is placed on the table T by the side of the wrapping mechanisn and serves to finish the point of the cigar, which 'is already provided with a little gurn, the cigar-point being smoothed to the greatest perfection by being simply inserted in the revolving cup for a moment.

The working may be easily summed p as follows: The machine being stationary and the jaws open, as shown in Fig. 10, a filler is placed on the cigar-support and then after starting the machine the extremity of a wrapper is held between the filler and the j aw situated on the side toward which the cigar revolves until the wrapper covers the cigar up to the point, at which moment a little gum is inserted in the semiconical recess in which the cigar point revolves. The knife is then dropped and the end of the cigar is cut ofi, throwing the wrapping mechanism outof action, but not the cup J, which continues to revolve and in which the point of the cigar is then inserted and finished, being smoothed, as hereinbefore described.

I claiml. In a machine for making cigars, a support for a cigar and two sets of comb-shaped jaws or fingers, one set of jaws working in tinuous rolling notion, substantially as set forth.

2. In a machine for making cigars, a support for a cigar, comb-shaped jaws adjacent to said support and grasping a cigar, a rotary shaft below said support, eccentrics upon said shaft, connecting-rods between said eccentrics and, jaws, and a fixed roll or rollers between said connecting-rods, and means for causing theconnecting-rods to bear against the rollers, whereby the jaws will partake of an up-and-down movement, andat the same time a movement toward and away from the cigar, whereby the said cigar will partake of a contin uous rolling movement, substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine for making cigars, a support for a cigar, jaws adjacent to the support and grasping the cigar, a rotary shaft below said support, eccentrics upon said shaft, connections between said eccentrics and jaws, a driVing-pulley mounted loosely upon said shaft, and a clutch connecting the said driving-pulley and shaft, whereby the shaft, eccentrics and jaws may be stopped when desired, substantially as set forth.

4. In a machine for making cigar-s, a support for a cigar, jaws adjacent to said support and grasping a cigar, a rotary shaft below said support, eccentrics upon said shaft, connections between said eccentrics and j aws, a driving-pulley mounted loosely upon said shaft, a clutch connecting said pulley and shaft, a knife for cutting the butt of the cigar, and connectious between said knife and clutch, whereby when the knife is brought into action the clutch will be disengaged and the driving-pulley, eccentrics and jaws will be stopped, substantially as set forth.

5. In a machine for making cigars, a support for a cigar, jaws adjacent to saidsupport and grasping a cigar, a rotary' shaft below said support, eccentrics' upon said shaft, con nections between said eccentrics and jaws, a driving-pulley loosely mounted upon said shaft, a clutch connecting said driving-pulley and shaft, a cam-shaftbetween the jaws, cams upon said shaft engaging with said jaws, and means whereby said cam and clutch may be operated simultaneously so that the eccentrics and jaws will be stopped and the jaws will be opened to allow the cigar to be removed, substantially as set forth.

CHARLES JOSEPH LACOSTE.

` In presence of AUG. J OERISSEN, GREGORY PHELAN.

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